Safety trip lock for cribs

ABSTRACT

The combination of a child&#39;&#39;s crib having a drop side and a trip lock for holding the drop side in raised position, that improvement which comprises a double lock safety means preventing the actuation of the trip lock in the absence of manually raising the drop side at least a small amount prior to actuating the trip lock. Thus, two separate actions are necessary before the drop side can be lowered.

United States Patent [1 1 Bryant [451 Nov. 12, 1974 SAFETY TRIP LOCK FORCRIBS [75] inventor: Robert G. Bryant, Gardner, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Gem Industries, inc., Gardner,

Mass.

[22] Filed: Oct. 9, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 404,440

[51] int. Cl. A47c 21/00 [58] Field of Search 5/11, 55 R, 100,331

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,3l2,l 84 2/1943 Neunberg5/100 2,357,2l8 8/]944 Merrett 5/ll Primary Examiner-Casmir A. NunbergAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles R. Fay

[57] ABSTRACT The combination of a childs crib having a drop side and atrip lock for holding the drop side in raised position, that improvementwhich comprises a double lock safety means preventing the actuation ofthe trip lock in the absence of manually raising the drop side at leasta small amount prior to actuating the trip lock. Thus, two separateactions are necessary before the drop side can be lowered.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDNUY 12 I974 3.846354 sum 10: 2

SAFETY TRIP LOCK FOR CRIBS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cribs with dropsides and various kinds of trip locks for holding the drop sides inraised position have been in use for many years. However some forms oftrip locks are actuatable by the knee of the mother,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A crib having a drop side is provided with atrip lock which is operable by moving it in a direction transverse tothe general plane of the crib. In a forward position, the trip lockengages a bracket at the bottom of the drop side, holding it in elevatedposition, but when the trip lock is merely pushed (i.e., to the rear) itreleases the drop side which can then fall; together with a new andimproved projection on the bracket that engages a deeper notch than inthe prior art in the trip lock, whereby the trip lock may not be pushedat all until the drop side moves slightly upwardly from its upper lockedposition. When so raised, the projection is free of the trip look sothat the latter may now be pushed, as by the knee, to the rear in theusual manner to release the drop side so that it can descend. The triplock is not capable of being moved at all accidentally until the dropside is moved upwardly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of therear of the front side of a crib illustrating as much of the drop sidemechanism as is necessary to explain the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 in FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a view partly in section illustrating the drop side bracket;

FIG. 6 is a view in rear elevation looking in the direction of arrow 6in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the invention using only left hand brackets;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 9 in FIG. 7.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Only so much of the crib is shownas is necessary to illustrate the present invention. A pair of cornerposts, one at each end of the crib, is illustrated in broken lines andindicated at 10, 10. These corner posts mount in the usual manner, cribdrop side guide rods 12, 12 which extend through the lower rail 14 ofthe drop side. The latter has spindles 16 as is well known, thesespindles being shown cut off in FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration.

Between the corner p0sts'10, there is an angleiron (stabilizer)generally indicated at 18 and generally centrally thereof there islocated a more or less conventional trip lock which comprises a rod 20connecting a pair of levers 22, 22 pivotally mounted as at 24 on theangle-iron 18, see FIG. 3, these levers being held in for instance solidline position in FIG. 3 by a conventional spring 26. The pivot pins 24may be held in brackets 28, 28, this being largely conventional.

At least one of the levers 22, 22 is provided with a forward cam surface30 rising in general across from the rod 20 to a terminal point at 32with a cam surface stop which merges rearwardly into a relatively deepnotch 34, again see FIG. 3. The levers 22 may be alike.

The bottom rail 14 of the dropside has mounted thereon at least oneangle bracket 36 having a horizontal leg 38 extending to the rear andterminating in a right angle downwardly extending projection 40. Ears 42are bent upwardly and between them provide a slot 44 which receives thevertical leg portion 46 of angle iron 18.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a lever 22 is shown in solid line positionwherein the projection 40 of the bracket 36 on the crib drop side lowerrail 14 is located in notch 34, and at the same time the vertical leg 46of the angle-iron 18 is located in slot 44 preventing the crib drop sideas a whole from moving laterally.

Obviously in this position the drop side is firmly locked in itsuppermost position.

Should the lever 22 or rod 20 be contacted from the right hand sidethereof in FIG. 3, nothing will happen because projection 32 lying infront of projection 40 prevents any such action. However it will benoted that the bottom of the slot at 44 clears the bottom edge of thevertical leg 46 of angle-iron 18 to an extent necessary to allow theinfants nurse to lift the drop side sufficiently to then allow levers22, 20 to be moved in a clockwise direction in FIG. 3 to the broken lineposition thereof, the projection 32 passing under the lower edge ofprojection 40 completely clearing the projec tion so that the drop sidecan now descend.

When the drop side is in its lowermost position, springs 26 returnlevers 22 to the solid line position in FIG. 3 and when it is desired toraise the drop side the edge of the projection 40 on bracket 36 rides oncam edge 30, moving the levers 22 slightly to the rear until projection40 reaches projection 32, and passes over it, and thereupon spirng 26will automatically cause legs 22 to snap in under the same resulting inthe double lock safety position of the drop side as illustrated in FIG.3.

It will be noted in FIG. 1 that brackets 36, 36 are different in thatone is a left and one is a right as to the relative positions of theears 42, 42. The rod 20 and levers 22, 22 are located between the earson the respective brackets, andthus do not interfere therewith duringthe operation of the trip lock and drop side.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, the rod 20 has an offset at 50 which allowsoperation of the parts by avoiding ear 42' on the bracket 36' to theright, FIGS. 7 and 8. Ear 42' on the left hand bracket is avoided asbefore. By this simple means, the brackets 42' may be made alike,avoiding the extra cost of making lefts and rights.

We claim:

1. The combination of a crib having a drop side and a pivotal latchnormally maintaining the drop side latched in its upper position, andmeans on the drop side engaging said pivotal latch and maintaining itagainst pivotal motion to unlatch the drop side, said ther directionexcept upon upward motion of the drop side releasing said projectionfrom said latch inhibiting position.

4. The crib of claim 3 including a horizontal rod on the pivotal latch,and an offset in the rod avoiding interference with the projection.

1. The combination of a crib having a drop side and a pivotal latchnormally maintaining the drop side latched in its upper position, andmeans on the drop side engaging said pivotal latch and maintaining itagainst pivotal motion to unlatch the drop side, said means beingconstructed and arranged to disengage the latch upon motion of the dropside in an upward direction.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein saidmeans includes a projection on the drop side.
 3. The crib of claim 2wherein said pivotal latch has a notch therein, said projection beingentered into said notch and preventing motion of the pivoted latch ineither direction except upon upward motion of the drop side releasingsaid projection from said latch inhibiting position.
 4. The crib ofclaim 3 including a horizontal rod on the pivotal latch, and an offsetin the rod avoiding interference with the projection.